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Glacier hazards represent a continuous threat to human lives
and infrastructure in mountain regions. Outbursts of glacier
lakes, ice break-offs and subsequent avalanches, and related
disasters can kill hundreds or even thousands of people at
once and cause damage with a worldwide annual sum in the tens
of millions of dollars. Global warming is exacerbating the
situation by causing rapid changes to glaciers and glacier
lakes. For this reason, and because the remoteness of glaciers
makes ground-based observations difficult, satellite imagery
has become an invaluable tool—and sometimes the only
tool—for glacier hazard assessment. Here, view a series
of glacier-related disasters and hazards imaged by a NASA
satellite for the international Global Land Ice Measurements
from Space, or GLIMS, project. To launch the
slide show, click on
the image at left.—Andreas Kääb
Andreas Kääb, a lecturer and senior research
associate in the Department of Geography at the University
of Zürich-Irchel, is chair of the International Working
Group on Glacier and Permafrost Hazards in Mountains.
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